2008 Woodie Awards
Petrino making all the right moves
Razorback Road
Matt Jones
Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Sports
In January, a local reporter ran into a Razorback administrator at the Catfish Hole, where recruits are hosted during official trips to Fayetteville.
The administrator was clearly animated and told the reporter, "He's doing everything right!"
"He" is Bobby Petrino.
Keeping with those same philosophies he uses with recruits, Petrino has charmed his way into the living rooms of the Natural State despite being plastered by the national media for leaving the Atlanta Falcons three weeks before the end of the regular season to take the Razorback job.
There is little doubt Petrino has the people of Arkansas dangling by a string right about now.
The first-year Razorback football head coach did little to damage his image Thursday when he told a group gathered at The Church at Pinnacle Hills that Razorback football practice will be open to the public this spring. Petrino didn't say whether practices will be open during the regular season.
Regardless, the opening of practice is a win for Razorback fans who have felt alienated from the program for the last several years.
Petrino cited those fans upon making the announcement.
"We play for the fans," Petrino said. "That's certainly a big part of the university.
"It would be great to see 750 to 800 at our practices. If we get too many, we'll just move [the practices] into the stadium.
"I want our players to have pride in practice. Having a lot [of people] at practice will help them learn that they are on a big stage here."
It's a new approach that appeals to Razorback fans. Open practices offer a reunion between fans and their program, which has had a dark cloud of secrecy looming over it since 2004.
But secrecy isn't the overriding theme heading into the spring. Instead, it's uncertainty.
Petrino takes over an Arkansas squad coming off an up-and-down 8-5 season, highlighted by a win at No. 1 LSU and punctuated by a disappointing performance one game later against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. The Razorbacks are also without the good bulk of its offense from the last three years, with the departures of Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, Peyton Hillis and Marcus Monk and emotional leaders on the defensive and offensive lines.
The administrator was clearly animated and told the reporter, "He's doing everything right!"
"He" is Bobby Petrino.
Keeping with those same philosophies he uses with recruits, Petrino has charmed his way into the living rooms of the Natural State despite being plastered by the national media for leaving the Atlanta Falcons three weeks before the end of the regular season to take the Razorback job.
There is little doubt Petrino has the people of Arkansas dangling by a string right about now.
The first-year Razorback football head coach did little to damage his image Thursday when he told a group gathered at The Church at Pinnacle Hills that Razorback football practice will be open to the public this spring. Petrino didn't say whether practices will be open during the regular season.
Regardless, the opening of practice is a win for Razorback fans who have felt alienated from the program for the last several years.
Petrino cited those fans upon making the announcement.
"We play for the fans," Petrino said. "That's certainly a big part of the university.
"It would be great to see 750 to 800 at our practices. If we get too many, we'll just move [the practices] into the stadium.
"I want our players to have pride in practice. Having a lot [of people] at practice will help them learn that they are on a big stage here."
It's a new approach that appeals to Razorback fans. Open practices offer a reunion between fans and their program, which has had a dark cloud of secrecy looming over it since 2004.
But secrecy isn't the overriding theme heading into the spring. Instead, it's uncertainty.
Petrino takes over an Arkansas squad coming off an up-and-down 8-5 season, highlighted by a win at No. 1 LSU and punctuated by a disappointing performance one game later against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. The Razorbacks are also without the good bulk of its offense from the last three years, with the departures of Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, Peyton Hillis and Marcus Monk and emotional leaders on the defensive and offensive lines.
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